UAE corporate bank account

Both local and international Clients determined to secure a corporate bank account solution in UAE can take advantage of our professional background and experience in the Emirates. Healy Consultants Group PLC’s expert banking team will be happy to provide a hassle-free A to Z solution.

Please read below for further information regarding the requirements for opening a corporate bank account in UAE.

UAE banking sector

The banking sector in UAE is considered young, but it is quickly catching up with the nearby financial hubs, such as Tel Aviv, due to its i) increased business influx in UAE since the past decade, ii) branch coverage (more than 900 branches in UAE) and iii) availability of international banking groups;

Enjoying a high credit rating of Aa2 by Moody’s, UAE’s business banking sector is regarded as stable and remains an oasis of confidence in a generally unstable region of the World;

The sector assets represent US$748 billion by Q3 2018, with almost 60% being held by 5 top banks. Furthermore, the UAE currency Dirham (AED) is pegged to the US dollar at a fixed rate of US$0.27 per 1 AED since 1997

Positively, the growth of the banking sector (190% in 2016) has been much faster than the growth of GDP;

A new VAT legislation will be introduced in late 2018, and is expected to severely affect the UAE banking sector by introducing higher short-term costs for the banking Clients. Positively, standard bank loans may not be affected by this VAT scheme;

Lastly, deposits in UAE are insured by the Central Bank, but not by a traditional (European) deposit guarantee scheme, but by a one-sided, unlimited UAE Government deposit approval scheme.

UAE corporate bank account

There are 46 licensed banks in UAE and only 9 representative offices of foreign banks;

Important licensed banks in UAE, which are a part of the international banking conglomerates include: i)HSBC Middle East UAE, ii)BNP Paribas Dubai and iii)ABN Amro. They offer high-quality banking facilities and online banking platforms and are recommended to those Clients who already have an established relationship with these banks for either personal or corporate needs.

Healy Consultants Group PLC’s UAE corporate banking services

Healy Consultants Group PLC supports our local and international Clients secure quality multicurrency corporate bank accounts in UAE. While it is a challenging task, our Banking Team will efficiently project manage this extensive process to minimize compliance burdens, imposed by UAE banks.

Please read below for further information:

In most cases, and depending on our Client’s business activity and preferred bank, Healy Consultants Group PLC will project manage the corporate bank account opening within 4 business weeks, all going well;

Negatively, there is a 75% probability that the bank’s internal compliance team may request our Clients to travel to a bank branch in UAE. In such cases, Healy Consultants Group PLC will apply a fee discount of US$950;

Furthermore, international Clients will be requested to legalize and translate a set of corporate documentation, which may amount to US$5,000 in Government and notary fees, and increase the engagement timelines dramatically;

Once the corporate bank account is activated, most UAE banks are expected to fully enable internet banking services within two weeks thereafter, allowing our Client to manage their local and international transfers;

As a standard business practice, the UAE bank will proceed to courier independently to our Client a complete banking kit, including: i) account terms and conditions and ii) online banking activation and token device kit.

Ongoing banking support

Most UAE banks offer a moderate array of traditional and more modern banking facilities, and financial instruments. Most of our Clients request Healy Consultants Group PLC to facilitate and introduce them to a partner UAE bank in order to increase the probability of credit instruments approvals.

Steps required to open a UAE corporate bank account

Firstly, Healy Consultants Group PLC and our Client will agree on the optimal domestic, international or Islamic business account-oriented institution in UAE. Healy Consultants Group PLC will introduce our Client to our preferred relationship manager in order to initiate the KYC process and compliance review;

Secondly, following company formation, Healy Consultants Group PLC will prepare a detailed business plan on our Client’s behalf, significantly increasing the probability of corporate bank account approval;

In most cases, Healy Consultants Group PLC will i) attend branch office or Skype video conference meetings, ii) project manage the translation and legalization for the set of corporate documents and iii) supply the supporting due diligence and bank forms according to the bank’s special requirements;

Where required, our UAE team will accompany our Client for a 1-hour interview in Dubai to verify signatures and appoint specific signatory rights;

As a last step, when the account is opened and activated, our preferred UAE bank will courier our Client with a complete banking kit, including the online banking security device (token).

Exchange controls and other regulation

Apart from few reporting standards, the UAE Central Bank does not impose any specific restrictive currency exchange control regulation;

Both residents and non-residents are allowed to open bank accounts in UAE and hold funds and deposits in multiple foreign currencies, including AED, €, US$ and £;

There are no restrictions on the amount of funds held in a personal or corporate bank account in UAE.

International Banking options

Frequently asked questions

I am interested in UAE business banking solutions. Which banks would you recommend?

Although several local UAE business bank account options will be available, Healy Consultants recommends that all our Clients opt for international banks including HSBC, Standard Chartered, Citibank and Barclays. These banks are renowned for providing good customer service, which will be essential when starting a new business in UAE.

I want to know how to open an offshore bank account in UAE; what do I need to do?

For opening an offshore bank account in the UAE, our Clients will not be required to register a local company. However, the KYC procedures will be more stringent than when opening a bank account for a resident company. Please refer to our section above to read our bank account opening guide for UAE companies.

I want to use Islamic Banking services in UAE. Can Healy Consultants help my firm?

Contact us

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